Submitted by elias rodriguez on Tue, 07/15/2008 - 10:12pm.

The best jobseekers all have a unique skill in common. Not only do they usually get the jobs they are qualified for, but they also have a knack for getting the jobs for which they are not qualified. As a result, they have very interesting work lives, because they are not tied down to an industry or position where they are not consistently learning new things.

Getting hired even when you are not qualified for the job is especially helpful in a tough job market. In such a market, what you’re qualified for may not be available (or it may have been outsourced), so if you can develop the skills it takes to get hired when you are not qualified, you should have a long and prosperous career where you can work even when the job market is weak.

Here are three ways you can get hired when you are not qualified for the job:

• Apply. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, most job seekers cut themselves out of the candidate pool for jobs they are not qualified for simply because when they read the description of the position, they think to themselves, “Oh, I’m not qualified for that position.” And they don’t apply for it.

  
  Newsflash: most job descriptions and requirements describe the ideal candidate, but many of the individuals hired for specific positions are far from the ideal. This is because the person who writes the job descriptions doesn’t really have the best idea of what they want or need for the position.
  
  Obviously, you need to apply for the position in order to even be considered, but in the application process, be sure to write a great cover letter that discusses why you are a good fit for the job and omits the qualifications you don’t have. Use examples from you current or past positions that demonstrate your ability to deliver what this potential new employer wants.

• Educate yourself. Even though you may not meet the educational requirements for a specific job (i.e. MBA required) you can educate yourself to the point where you can beat out candidates for a position that requires an advanced degree. Most employers like telling their colleagues that their divisions are all managed by MBAs, but I guarantee that no employer is going to hire an MBA just because he has an MBA. He has to know something about the position for which he’s applying.
  
  If you want a job in IT, for example, make the time to study up on new and existing technologies. Learn as much as possible from reading, but also take the time to meet with experts in that field and position both within and outside your company. You need to be and sound knowledgeable about the job for which you are applying, so take responsibility and study up on it.


• Create different projects in your specific areas of interest. One of the best ways that you can prepare yourself for getting a job for which you are not qualified is by working on personal projects in that area outside of work. Going back to my IT example, if you want to manage a websites for companies, you should craft a project where you develop a working website on your own from start to finish.
  
  That way, when your amazing cover letter wins you the chance to prove yourself in an interview, you not only can tell the interviewer that you have experience in this arena, but you can actually show him.

It is possible to get a job for which you are not qualified, even in this tight job market. You just have to be willing to put in the time, effort, and dedication required.

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